Forget Me Not
by FreeSpiritSeeker
Summary: When Jacob discovers a young woman injured and nearly drowned, can he help her discover who she is when all his inner wolf wants is to keep her?
1. Chapter 1

She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember her name, or her address, or why she was wandering along the beach with blood streaming down the side of her face. She could smell smoke and knew only that her head hurt and that she was cold. Her feet were bare and the rocks scraped at them, making her stumble to her knees and she cried out in pain.

She was tired, so very very tired. She laid there on the beach, watching the waves inching forward. Watching as the first wave touched her fingertips, then her fingers, her palm. She closed her eyes as the cold water sapped her strength even further, leaving her too exhausted to even try to move, to save herself from the oncoming water. She felt it slowly seeping into her clothes as the ebb and flow of the water worked it's way towards her. She felt it's cold touch on her face and shivered.

And then she felt herself being lifted from the chill water, wrapped in warm arms, her fading consciousness barely making out a deep soothing voice and blurred words that lulled her deeper into sleep. When she awoke, there was only darkness, and a warm furred body curled around hers. She dug her fingers deeply into the fur and snuggled into it, hearing only a deep, appreciative purr-like sound. It made no sense. So she simply smiled and slept again.

The next time she awoke, she was wrapped in a blanket and laying on a bed in a small room, the bed took up all the room but for a small sliver of space. She could hear voices, slightly raised and she felt her heart begin to race. Her breath quickened and she heard one of the voices say, "You guys need to chill out, can't you hear her freaking out in there?"

And then there was a young man kneeling beside the bed. His hair was slightly shaggy, his skin a beautiful dark tanned color, and eyes that were both fierce and strangely calm. He reached out slowly and caressed her hair. "It's ok. You're safe, no one's going to hurt you."

A soft voice called out, "Jacob" and the young man stood and looked torn for a second, as though he couldn't bear to leave. "I'll be back. You're safe here, I promise."

As he left, a tear slipped from her eye. Safe. Something told her for the first time, she truly was safe. But safe from what?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jacob

"So let me get this straight. You found her on the beach, practically dead?"

"Yup."

"And?"

Jacob sighed. "She was bleeding from a cut on her head and she was freezing from the icy water. I took her to one of the old caves and basically wrapped myself around her until she stopped shivering, and kept her warm til morning light, then brought her here. I stayed in wolf form in case I needed to communicate with the pack!" He defended himself.

"I'm a bit worried about that cut. It's still seeping blood a bit…" Sam Uley said quietly, looking at the doorway to Jacob's bedroom.

"It is?" Jacob was instantly concerned and tried to head back that way but was stopped by Paul and Jared. He growled at them. "I want to check on her."

"You're going to scare her, Jacob." Sam said calmly.

He looked confused for a moment and then sad. "I will?"

"Wouldn't you be, Jake, if you woke up in a strange place, with a half-naked guy hovering over you, constantly trying to turn you this way or that to make sure you're comfortable, running back and forth on his big elephant feet," Jacob glared at that, but let Jared make his point, "trying to fetch and carry water, juice or whatever food or beverage he might think you need? Think about it Jake. She's hurt. I think we need to take her to Doc Cullen."

Now Jacob really did growl. "I trusted him with my life, but I won't trust him with hers!" he shouted. And then his face went bloodless when he heard a quiet moan from the bedroom. He tried to sprint back to her but this time the entire pack stopped him, holding him back. All of them together almost couldn't do it. Jacob had gotten stronger living in the wild.

"Oh my god, Sam. He's imprinted." Paul moaned.


	3. Chapter 3

She heard a crunching sound and moaned as her head ached in response. It felt like pain throbbed around the edge of every thought. She forced her eyes open, and slowly sat up, as she was quite dizzy still. She even more carefully raised her head to touch the place that the pain seemed to originate from and winced when it sent a sharp jab of sharper agony to her senses. She eased herself off of the bed slowly, holding onto the wall and then the doors as she shuffled across the floor towards the sounds of the other people in the house were.

Maybe they had some answers for her. Answers to questions like: "Who am I?" "Where am I?" "Who are you?" and "What happened?" As she slowly moved her feet, creeping along, she became aware that the voices had gotten quieter and the noises had stopped. As if they'd sensed her coming, they were standing in a semi-circle in the living room of the tiny house.

She tried to be brave and smile, even when faced with a horde of tall, frightening looking men. The only one that didn't seem to be frowning down at her was the one in the middle, and she saw that his wrists were being held by the two on either side of him as if to prevent him from flinging himself at her. He seemed to realize that she was beginning to freak out and his face softened as he stared at her. "Knock it off guys, I'm alright. Besides you're scaring our guest."

It took her a moment to find her voice, and she was surprised at how rusty it felt to use it and how scratchy it sounded. "H…hi. Hello."

They all nodded to her and the middle one smiled as if very pleased with himself. He shrugged the others off and stepped forward, offering his hand. "I'm Jake." His voice fascinated her, it was deep and warm, like his eyes. She realized that those were the eyes that she'd seen when she'd woken earlier.

"I know you." His eyes seemed to shine brighter. "You were there earlier, you're the one who said I'd be safe." She shivered but she didn't know why. There was a knock on the door and she jumped, though the others seemed to have expected it.

Jake sighed and went to the door, he opened it to reveal a younger version of all the young men in the room who looked rather abashed, and a tall pale-skinned man with blonde hair. "I should have known you'd bring him, Seth." I heard Jake say. The boy just shrugged, but looked Jake straight in the eyes. It immediately made me like the boy more, he was sincere.

Jake finally looked at the man. "Hi, Doc."

The man nodded. "Jacob. Glad to see you healed so well." The man's…doctor?...voice was low and soothing, like someone talking to a wild animal. I immediately liked him. "Is this the young lady you found, Jacob?" the doctor asked.

Jacob nodded. He let them both in, smacking the boy in the back of the head. "Ow!" I heard him whisper.

And then the doctor was in front of her, smiling down at her. Why was she so short compared to everyone, she wondered? "Hello, I'm Doctor Carlisle Cullen." He said, sticking his hand out for her to shake. She smiled at him but didn't speak. His smile seemed to dim a little. He motioned for her to come with him back towards Jake's room. "If you'll come with me, I can check you out, make sure everything's ok." She looked at Jake, not wanting to go with this man. Jake was beside her in an instant, a very warm hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

And that's when she lost it, the very tentative grip she had on her emotions. She burst into tears in front of an entire room full of testosterone. Jake panicked and grabbed her, pulling her to him, shushing her gently, softly. As she sobbed she cried out her fears, "Nothing's ok! I don't know who I am!"


	4. Chapter 4

Jacob looked panicked for a minute, before wrapping his arm more securely around her, radiating a sense of comfort. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried, his hand sliding over her hair to soothe her. "Can I come back with her doc? I think she might be a bit calmer if I'm there, at least for most of it. I'll step out of the room when you need me to." Jacob said softly.

Carlisle nodded and led the way into the room. He sat on the end of the bed closest to the wall, leaving room for the girl and Jacob to sit closer to the door. "Ok, since you don't know your name, can you think of something we can call you for now?" Carlisle asked softly, trying to be soothing as well. He certainly didn't want to frighten this young woman any more than she already was.

Jacob held her hand as she thought quickly, trying to come up with a name, something simple. But it was a lot harder than she thought when all she wanted was her own real name, even if it was something stupid, like Mildred or Hortense. Finally she simply blurted out "Ava!" After all, how hard could that be to remember?

"Ava." Carlisle smiled and wrote the name down on the top of a chart. He quickly began filling out the easy parts of the form, hair color-brown, eye color-green. Age…not so easy, but he guessed probably in her late teens, perhaps early twenties. He pulled out a measuring tape and had her stand against the wall while he figured out her height. He guessed/estimated her weight, he knew he'd be within a few pounds.

He noted that her clothes were torn and tattered, and he thought he even may have spotted a burn mark on the edge of the shirt. What could have happened to this young woman that Jacob found her drowning in the ocean. He thanked whatever god there was that Jacob had such good eyesight and was such a strong swimmer, something told Carlisle that this young woman was going to turn out to be someone very special, indeed.

Taking his stethoscope, Carlisle checked Ava's vital signs. Her blood pressure was slightly elevated, but within normal range. Her heartbeat was strong and steady. Her lungs sounded clear, but he was sure she probably had a pretty sore throat from swallowing and inhaling the water. Finally he opened his bag and looked at the wound on her head.

Jacob watched carefully. Even though he trusted Carlisle, he was still a vampire, and the wound had bled, and perhaps was still bleeding a little under the gauze he'd strapped there with tape. He watched as Carlisle gently removed the tape, wincing along with Ava as the tape pulled at the cut. Carlisle cleaned the wound with an alcohol prep pad which caused Ava to wince a bit more. When he touched the wound and Ava groaned in pain, it was all Jacob could do not to jump up and pin Carlisle to the wall for hurting his imprint, even if Carlisle hadn't meant it to hurt.

"Bad pain?" Carlisle asked Ava. "A bit. Seems like when it's touched it sends pain radiating around my skull." Carlisle looked a bit concerned and looked at Jacob. Well, the cut itself isn't bad and has already stopped bleeding. I don't feel any swelling. I do think that you might have a slight concussion. Jacob, you're going to need to keep an eye on her, wake her up every half an hour until midnight." Carlisle stood and they all exited the room.

Carlisle stood in the living room writing out a few prescriptions for pain and a syrup for her sore throat. He looked at Sam and spoke softly. "May I have your permission to send my daughter Alice with some clothing and other necessities for Ava?" Everyone looked at her for a second.

"Did you remember your name?" Seth asked happily. Ava frowned and nodded. "No, it's just a name until I can remember what my own real name is." She answered.

"Oh. Sorry." Seth said, but smiled brightly at her. "I think Ava suits you!"

Ava did smile at that, and Sam answered Carlisle, his dark, intense eyes on Ava. "Alice only. Will she be bringing the medicines as well?"

Carlisle nodded. "It would be more convenient to have Ava be a guest at our home," Carlisle wasn't surprised by the outraged outbursts and outright "NO!" of Jacob and the rest of them, but Ava was shocked and half-hid herself behind Jacob. Carlisle continued, "But I knew that would be your answer. And, therefore, I did not ask. If you need anything, call or send one of the boys over." Carlisle left, waving to Seth.

Ava seemed to tire almost instantly once the doctor had left and leaned heavily on Jacob. Sam noticed immediately, as did Jacob. He looked at Jacob and said softly, "We'll be doing our patrols, we'll get out of your hair, but I'm keeping Seth here in case you need to send him for one of us or Carlisle. Alice will probably be here any time, so we'll be watching for her." Even Sam seemed to be less antagonistic towards Carlisle's younger "daughter." She charmed everyone she met with her pixie-ish ways.

Jacob nodded as Sam and the others filed out of the house. He looked down at Ava, noting her sleepy, blinking eyes and slight smile. "Ready for some more rest?" He asked softly. She nodded and led the way back to the bedroom. Jacob sat beside her on the bed as she curled up under his quilt. He checked his watch so he'd know when to wake her again. And then was slightly surprised when she wormed her hand into his, her fingers sliding between his and holding them in a death grip that lessened only slightly when she'd fallen asleep, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. He sat and watched her as she slept.


	5. Chapter 5

When Ava awoke later, there was a new voice coming from somewhere in the house. She wrapped the thin quilt around herself and slowly walked toward the distinctly feminine voice. She was surprised to see Jacob towering over a petite, pale girl as if putting himself between her and Ava. "Jake?" Ava said softly and he turned to her and smiled softly.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty. Was just getting ready to come wake you up again. How do you feel?"

Ava smiled back at him and quietly replied, "Still a bit sore, but better. Headache's almost all gone, too."

"Well then, these will help make it all better." Said the pale girl, handing a small pharmacy bag to Jake before twirling around him and coming to stand in front of Ava. The girl was so quick it was almost spooky and Ava backed away a little in response. Jacob was beside her in an instant, again acting as a barrier between the pale girl-who was now looking a little annoyed-and Ava.

The girl stuck her hand out as she said in a bright, perky voice, "Hi! I'm Alice! I brought you some clothes and stuff, since I figured these guys wouldn't have anything for you, and you're obviously in need of things to wear." Ava noticed a rather large shopping bag next to where the girl had been standing and blushed. She didn't think anyone had ever brought her clothes before, and especially nothing with the high-dollar name brand emblazoned on the side of the bag.

Ava shook Alice's hand and tried to smile politely, but there was something about her, friendly as she was, that made Ava nervous. But it could just be the way Jacob kept trying to keep himself between them, as if Alice was someone dangerous. She certainly didn't look dangerous…she looked rather like an overly energetic doll. Ava wasn't very tall herself, but she felt like she was much taller than tiny Alice.

Suddenly Alice's face brightened and she smacked Jacob lightly on the shoulder. "Oh you like clothes. Oh good, we're going to be wonderful friends, Ava!" Jacob looked horrified and Ava thought he was going to be sick. "Carlisle said you should take those pills as soon as possible to help with the pain and that you'd feel much better after a long hot soak, clean clothes and a hot cup of tea with honey." She looked thoughtfully at Jacob. "You have tea and honey, right?"

"Yes, Alice." He replied, his voice and face taut and tight, like he was annoyed. As if sensing his need for comfort, Ava slipped her hand into his. He jolted softly in surprise, but then his hand squeezed around hers gently as he looked down at her.

Ava felt more than saw Alice roll her eyes. She thought she heard her say something softly that sounded like "imprints," but wasn't certain. "Well, I'm going home. Call if you need anything. Ava, I'd like to invite you …and Jacob…to the house when you're feeling better." Jacob looked surprised at the invitation, but didn't say anything.

Ava smiled and nodded. "That sounds nice, Alice. Thank you for everything. It was nice to meet you." Alice nodded and left, letting the front door swing gently closed behind her. Jacob let go of Ava's hand and took the pharmacy bag to the counter in the small kitchen. Ava followed him, sitting on the edge of one of the large wooden chairs, watching him as he read the directions on the bottles and took down a glass. He filled it with water, took two pills out of the bottles and handed it to Ava.

She grimaced as she swallowed, her throat still sore. She noticed that Jacob seemed to be searching her face for something, a strange look in his eyes. "Is everything ok, Jake?" She asked softly.

"Just wishing I could ask you everything about yourself." He said, his voice sad. It struck her funny for a second and she laughed. "I was just thinking the same thing about you." He smiled and gestured to himself. "Ask away. I'm not brain-damaged." He laughed, teasing her. She laughed harder.

"Ok. Do you live here by yourself?"

"No, my dad lives here too, he's just been visiting his friend Charlie in Forks. You'll notice that the doorways and stuff are wider than usual, that's because he's in a wheelchair."

"How long have you been friends with those guys?" She said, thinking about the others she'd met earlier.

"A while, about a year with some, longer with a few of them."

She couldn't think of anything else to ask. She yawned and he smiled. "The bottle said the meds might make you sleepy. How about you go take yourself a nice hot bath, I'll start some water for that cup of tea for you."

She nodded, a hot bath sounded wonderful. She picked up the large bag from Alice and carried it to the bathroom with her. She was amazed that inside the large bag were also several smaller bags from Bath and Body Works and Sephora. The shower gel and lotion smelled wonderful and the array of cosmetics was amazing. She ran the water as hot as she could stand it and slid into it, luxuriating up to her shoulders as she scrubbed herself clean. She washed and rinsed her hair twice, then flipped the plug to let the water drain. She dried off with a very fluffy towel Alice had put into the bottom of the bag and pulled on underwear and a very comfortable set of pale pink pajamas with a cupcake print.

She cleared the mist off the mirror with the towel, and stared at her own face in the mirror. It was a nice face, she thought. The eyes were bright, though a little sad, and a lovely shade of forest green. Her hair was to her shoulders, a nice deep brown with hints of gold and coppery-red in the bright overhead light. All-in-all, she liked her face and for a moment wondered if Jacob liked her face. She saw her cheeks become a bright pink in the mirror's reflection. To clear her mind, she pulled a toothbrush and toothpaste from a large cosmetics bag inside the gigantic bag that Alice had given her. She brushed her teeth and smiled to make sure they were all clean.

When she opened the door, Jacob was standing there, his hand in a knocking position, his other hand clutching a mug of steaming tea. The scent was mouth-watering and Ava's stomach growled. She blushed hard and smiled. "Oops."

"Hungry?" Jacob asked, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before, since he was starving too.

Ava nodded, "Yes, but not, too. It's a weird feeling."

"Your mind's on other things than your stomach. I understand. Follow me, we'll see what we can make." He said, leading the way to the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Ava sat at the table and watched in amazement as Jacob began to cook. One thing she did seem to know, none of the guys (whose names and faces she couldn't remember) her mind knew of cooked. She assumed this meant her father, any brothers and friends. She watched as he measured out massive amounts (to her) of hamburger, which he shaped into four enormous burgers. He slid them onto a smoking-hot grill pan on the stove, and flipped on the overhead vent to remove the smoke. "Onions?" he asked, and she nodded. He sliced an onion thickly and slid the slices onto the grill pan as well to caramelize.

He opened the fridge and pulled out lettuce, several types of cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and pickles. He took two tomatoes from a basket on a shelf over the kitchen window and sliced them, tore the lettuce leaves into a more burger-friendly size and sliced the pickles. "Anything you don't like on a burger?" He asked.

She thought for a second before answering. "I don't think so. It all looks really good."

He nodded and continued, layering slices of cheddar and swiss cheese on the burgers, then tossing a couple of ice cubes around them and clamping a large domed lid over them. When he took the lid off a few minutes later, the cheese was melted and dripping down the burgers. He slid them onto buns, topped them with the grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and spread the buns with mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. He took down a large bag of potato chips from a cupboard and placed the burgers on a try on the table, with the bag of chips.

He pulled two plates and two tall glasses from another cupboard, and as if sensing she'd need it, pulled a steak knife for Ava to cut her burger in half. He filled the glasses with ice and then asked, "Soda or lemonade?"

"Lemonade sounds great." She answered and he poured the glass full almost to the brim. He set it carefully down in front of her, and then filled his with a lemon-lime soda. He sat down at the table and set a burger and a handful of chips on her plate before pulling two burgers onto his own and almost half the bag of chips. She tried not to look amused. Evidently she didn't succeed because Jacob looked at her and grinned. "I'm a growing boy." He said and she started giggling and then full out laughing at him. He stopped grinning and just stared at her for a minute. "Wow." He said.

Blushing, Ava looked at him. "What?" she asked.

"You have a really great laugh. It makes your whole face light up."

Ava just blushed harder. "Thanks, Jake. I'm glad you like my laugh." She thought she heard him whisper something that sounded like "I like everything about you," but she wasn't sure. She lifted half of her burger to her mouth and took a bite, extremely aware of Jacob watching every movement she made. The first bite exploded with flavor in her mouth and she let out a very loud "Mmmm!" Jacob laughed and bit into one of his own burgers and ate it in four large bites.

After only half of her burger, and a few chips, Ava was more than full and was starting to get sleepy again. She smiled and put the other half of her burger in front of Jacob after he'd finished both of his and was eyeing the one left on the tray. He smiled at her and ate it and sighed as if he was finally full. He began to clear everything away and she stood up to help him. He tried to make her sit back down but she simply said, "You cooked, I'm going to at least help clean up. Let me feel a little useful, please?"

"Ok, you can help wash dishes. It's the one job I really don't like." He pointed out where she could find the dishwashing liquid and a sponge, and she began to fill the sink with hot, soapy water. She slid the plates, glasses, her knife, and the spatula he'd used for the burgers into the water and set the still-hot griddle on the counter beside the sink. Jacob put away all the condiments, the cheeses, lettuce and jar of pickles, and put the tray with the last burger in the fridge for his dad. He watched her as she began to wipe the plates and glasses, and then stood beside her to rinse and dry them, putting them back in their cupboards. She handed him everything carefully and then gently slid the grill pan in to the hot water so it wouldn't splash over the side of the sink and soak her and Jacob.

"That's probably going to need to soak for a bit. I know you're tired, Ava. You need to rest if you're going to heal, too. And it's time for more pain meds." She sighed softly and nodded. "I think maybe I've always hated taking pills." She said softly. He smiled. "See, you're remembering things already. Just think what more sleep will do for you!" She stuck her tongue out at him but accepted the pills from him and a half of a glass of lemonade. She swallowed them quickly, grimaced and shivered, and drank down the rest of the lemonade.

She yawned so hard she thought her head would split in two and blushed. "Excuse me!"

Jacob grinned and led her back to his room. He tucked her into the bed, and asked if she was comfortable. She nodded and watched him turn off the light, putting the room in semi-darkness as twilight gathered outside the window. She watched the play of the sunset on the wall as her eyes slowly shut. She shivered as a sudden rush of cold slid along her spine, a spike of fear. But she felt safe because she knew Jacob was close by. She closed her eyes and let sleep creep up on her.

And she was instantly thrust into the middle of a nightmare.

She was driving along a winding, narrow road, forest on one side and cliffs on the other. Night driving always made her nervous. Music was blaring to help keep her awake, and she was singing along at the top of her lungs, one window open to let the cold, bracing air into the car. She was almost too tired to think, she was on her way home after an interview for a new job, and she was excited because the interview had gone so well.

As she rounded a particularly narrow curve, she was suddenly swerving to avoid a tall figure standing in the middle of the road. A figure which sparkled in the bright glare of her headlights, as if he'd been dipped in glitter. The figure threw up its hand as if to shield its eyes and she saw that instead of pointing toward the dangers of the forest, she was suddenly hurling towards the cliffs and the ocean beneath it. She struggled to pull the car back onto the road, but everything happened so quickly that before she knew what was happening, she was hurtling over the guardrails and cliff.

Her mind seemed to shut down, but she remembered her head slamming down onto the steering wheel and glass shattering around her as the car hit a rock jutting out of the wall of rock before falling again into the churning water. The car began quickly filling with water and she knew she had to get out. She struggled to keep panic at bay as she unclipped her seatbelt. She cut her hands and felt glass shards cutting into her legs as she struggled to get out from under the dashboard of the car. The windshield had been shattered and as the car filled, she was able to pull herself up and out, swimming as hard as she could, watching as the car sunk deeper and deeper into the murky gray ocean.

When she finally reached the surface of the water, she screamed and sucked in a lungful of air, before being dashed against a cluster of rocks. She tried to hold onto them, even as the waves flung her at them, she remembered cracking her head against one rather sharply and then hot blood flowing from a cut. The waves ripped her from the rocks and she was pushed and pulled by the water until she was exhausted and could barely move any more. She managed to keep herself afloat by treading water. She sighted what she thought was shore and weakly started to swim towards it, certain that she wouldn't make it, that she would die alone in the middle of this watery hell.

She wasn't sure how long it took, but she was suddenly feeling sand and rock under her feet, and she crawled towards the beach. She heard a long, mournful howling sound and thought that she'd finally lost all of her mind. She closed her eyes and laid in the sand as the icy water lapped around her, as if trying to drag her back out to what would become her grave.

And then amazingly she was being lifted. She felt strong, hot arms wrapping around her and she was being carried. She didn't know where, her eyes were swollen shut from salt water and her own tears. She wrapped her arms around the neck of her rescuer and buried her face against a hot, muscled chest and wept. She was laid on a rather cold stone floor and whimpered in pain and cold as she began to shiver. She felt something strange in the air and then she was being wrapped in hot fur, a blanket perhaps? She didn't know, but she was finally becoming warm. She turned her head to the side and began to expel the water from her lungs and stomach. Her very lungs seemed to ache as she pulled clean air into them, her throat felt as though she'd been swallowing glass. She curled back up against the hot furry warmth and then there was nothing more.

Ava jolted awake, screaming and crying. Jacob was there in an instant, pulling her into his arms and trying to calm her. She tried to tell him, but the meds had kicked in and she couldn't keep her eyes open or her words coherent. She slipped into sleep once more, forgetting everything she had dreamed and slid into a dreamless world of nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

When Ava woke again, sun was shining through the small window and making patterns on her skin. She'd kicked off the blanket some time during the night and the pillow was smashed up against the wall. She realized very quickly that she hurt. Her body felt as though she'd run a marathon after doing an intense weight-lifting session. "What in the world?" She asked herself out loud.

She climbed out of the bed and quickly made it, sliding the pillow on top of the straightened blanket. It wasn't properly made, but it looked better than having left everything on the floor. She slipped on a pair of shoes that Alice had brought over and walked out of the room towards the sound of voices, thinking that it was very deja-vu like.

Once again, she found Jacob in the living room with Doctor Cullen. She just caught the edge of Jacob's words as she entered and was immediately shocked at what she heard. "Are you sure that you can keep her safe? I don't have to worry?"

"Jake?" She asked, her voice quavering.

She saw him wince and he turned to her. "It's ok, Ava. I don't want you to go, trust me, I DON'T. But the nightmares you were having last night were scaring me to death, and I didn't know what to do for you. Carlisle has the equipment at his home to monitor your dreams. He might be able to help you, he will be able to help you much more than I would be able to."

Ava felt as though she'd been stabbed through the heart. "But , Jake, I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you." She gripped his hand.

Carlisle said softly, "I'll let you two decide, but you are very welcome in my home, Ava. I know that Alice is dying to take you shopping and use you, as Bella would say, as a guinea pig. You'd be a very welcome guest at our home. I know that my wife, Esme, is also very interested in making your acquaintance. " Ava watched as he stood and went outside to lean against the car.

Jacob was perfectly aware that Carlisle was most likely listening to every word they were saying, but he tuned him out and face Ava. He reached up and for the first time, stroked his hand over her cheek. "Ava, I need you to do this for me. If you keep having nightmares like you did last night, I'm very much afraid you'll hurt yourself. Or me." He said, trying to make her laugh. Her frown didn't budge.

"Ava, please, do this for me. I don't like watching you suffer like you did last night. I know you probably don't remember-"

"Not a single part of it." She sighed.

"But you screamed and kept screaming until I literally climbed into the bed with you, held you down and sang to you." He blushed a bit at admitting that. "You tried to tell me what had happened, but you were so tired from the medication Carlisle gave you that you couldn't stay awake long enough to tell me. I was terrified you'd have another nightmare so I stayed with you all night. I called Carlisle first thing this morning and he came right over. "

Ava admitted to herself that it was awfully nice of Carlisle to do that. And she didn't want to disappoint Jake. "Is this really what you want?" She asked, looking up at him. He surprised her by pulling her into his arms and holding her against his chest so that she couldn't see his eyes. But he choked out an answer.

"It's the very last thing I want. But it's what's right for you. You have to go, Ava. Go get your things together; I'm going to talk to Carlisle for a few minutes." He said, gently pushing her towards his room where he'd put her things earlier. He walked outside after she'd disappeared and headed towards Carlisle. As he suspected, Carlisle had heard everything and was nodding his agreement. "It really is the best thing for her, Jacob. I know that you see that or you wouldn't have asked for help, let alone my help. I promise you, I will give Ava the very best care possible."

"Good. Now answer my question from earlier. Do I have anything to worry about?"

"I don't believe so. She will be spending most of her time with Alice, I'm sure. And Bella may be there as well at times." He hesitated at Jacob's light growl at Bella's name. It still did not sit well with Jacob that Bella had chosen Edward. But Jacob's growl wasn't as fierce as it would have been before Ava had arrived. Perhaps Alice was right and Jacob had imprinted.

"You know that we will be patrolling nearby. I swear, Carlisle, if anything happens to her, we will attack, and tear you all into tiny bits and pieces." Jacob looked fierce and Carlisle had to admit that if he wasn't as sure of himself and his family, he would have been worried.

"I understand." Carlisle said simply, and nodded at Ava, who'd just appeared on the porch steps, the large bag at her feet. She'd dressed in a simple pair of denim jeans and tshirt with a picture of a howling wolf on it. Jacob smiled at Alice's attempt at a joke.

"I'm ready." Ava said softly, looking dejectedly at him from the stairs. He felt his heart crack a little at causing his imprint pain and he gritted his teeth as he took her hand and led her down the stairs, her bag in his other hand. He murmured something in Quillute into her hair as he hugged her tightly, then kissed the top of her head. He helped her into the car and tossed the bag gently into the back seat. He waved as Carlisle pulled onto the road, Ava looking back at him.


	8. Chapter 8

When Ava arrived at the Cullen home, she was surprised to see several people standing on the porch besides Alice. There were three young men and another girl, tall with long blonde hair. Ava was instantly nervous; the blonde girl seemed very intimidating. One of the young men, tall and muscular, had his arm wrapped around the blonde's shoulders, holding her close.

It seemed like Ava was barely out of the car before Alice was there beside her, helping to gather her things and carry them inside. Alice led her through the open front door and up a flight of stairs. She opened the door to a room that seemed rather…well, blank. The walls were plain white, the furniture was white, even the bedding was white. She'd gotten rather used to the jumble of color's in Jacob's house. Everything there was comfortable and maybe a little drab, but they suited Jacob. This room seemed to high-class and showy. Ava was terrified she'd mar something.

"Are you hungry? Esme's always got something in the fridge. Or you and I could go out to grab something and eat…maybe do some SHOPPING?" Alice voice rose at the end of the sentence and Ava smiled at the amount of hope in that one word. She put her bag on top of the bed and nodded. "Shopping sounds fun. But Alice, I don't have any money. Jacob wasn't able to find any identification on me when he pulled me from the water."

"Don't even worry about it, Ava! My treat. Come on, let's go! Shopping! We should see if Rose wants to come too!"

"Rose?" Ava asked.

"Rosalie, my sister. You saw her on the porch, I'm sure. Tall, blonde, terrifying?" But she giggled as she said it.

So they made their way downstairs. As always, the way Alice moved so gracefully made everyone around her…well, Ava at least, seem like a galloping herd of elephants. She wasn't surprised when Alice raced ahead of her to ask Rose if she wanted to come. As Ava stepped out onto the porch, she was met by the curious stares of everyone. And then a hand was laid gently on her shoulder and she looked back to find a woman standing there. "Hello dear. I'm Carlisle's wife, Esme. We're very happy to have you here, Ava. Would you like to meet the rest of my children?"

Ava tried to speak but the words seemed to choke her, so she simply nodded. Esme stepped out onto the porch beside her, and gestured to each of the teenagers in turn. "This is Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. And of course, you've already met Alice." Alice beamed at her.

"Esme, Rose and I are taking Ava shopping. We might be out a bit late, but if we're very late, we'll call you." Carlisle had come to stand beside Esme, his arm around her waist.

"It's fine for you to go shopping, but be careful, there's supposed to be some pretty nasty fog tonight." He warned them.

Alice got into the driver's seat, Rosalie in the passenger seat beside her. Ava climbed into the back seat behind Alice. And then was holding onto the seatbelt wrapped around her for dear life. Alice wasn't driving anywhere near the posted speed limit, and Ava was certain that their doom was impending. Rose was apparently used to this kind of driving, because she didn't even hesitate as she easily slid a cd into the car's cd player.

As they wrapped their way around a sudden curve, Ava felt an intense sense of dread overcome her. "Alice, stop, pull over please!" She called out. The minute the car stopped, Ava was out of the car and in the weeds beside the road, retching. She didn't see the concerned looks of Alice and Rose as they got out of the car and made their way towards her. Alice helped her up; Ava was amazed at how strong the girl was, her bones seemed so birdlike.

They made it back to the car, Ava well aware of the disgusted looks Rose was glaring her way. "I'm sorry, Alice. I don't know what happened. I was fine and then all of a sudden it hit me like a brick wall." Ava laid down on the back seat, trying to hold the nausea at bay.

"It was probably just me driving so fast around the curves of the road. Are you sure you're ok? Do you want to go back to the house? I'm sure Carlisle could give you something for the nausea and the headache you've probably got now too." Alice looked a bit worried.

"No, I'm sure I'll be ok. It's probably that I haven't eaten yet and I feel…nervous without Jake around." She blushed at the admission, but it was true. Something just felt wrong with Jacob not being there.

"Ok, then first thing's first. We'll stop and get some food in you. Trust me, you're going to need the energy for one of Alice's shopping expeditions." Rose said. Her voice was strangely musical and it made Ava smile. Maybe Rose would turn out to be a friend too. As soon as Ava thought it, she saw Alice smile widely.

"And away we go!" Alice laughed as she started the car. But Ava noticed that she kept it at speed limit and took the curves with more care.


	9. Chapter 9

Three hours and twelve stores later, Ava finally called a time-out. "Alice, I'm dying here. Can we please take all this out to the car and come back in to get some lunch at the food court? And then, I promise, we can do some more shopping, but I'm starving and my knees are weak. I need foot and my feet need a break. Thirty minutes, that's all I ask! Then we can shop all you want!" She begged.

Grumbling, Alice finally relented, and Ava nearly shouted in joy and relief. They carried their bags to the car, locked them in the trunk and walked back into the mall. "Alice, Ava really needs a makeover. Maybe we should stop in and see Janet at Acapulco? You know she has the best touch with hair." Rose casually suggested. She looked at Ava. "You look like a train wreck." Ava felt her blood boiling slowly under her skin.

As if she realized she'd made a vast error, Rose amended it. "I just mean that you look like you've been through one, not that you are one. But seriously, you're hair's a mess, you've got bruises everywhere, you look like hell."

Ava's anger boiled over, and she started to shout, poking her finger in Rose's chest. "Now you listen here, blondie! I may not be rich, I may not be up to your high standards of glamour, but I like the way I look. I'm happy with me. Just because you're not happy with yourself, don't take it out on me!" And then she saw Rose's façade fade and how unhappy she looked. "Aww damn it. Don't cry. Please? I'm sorry, I'm an insensitive jerk. But dammit, you made me feel like crap. I'm sorry, ok?" She heard Rose sniffle and then she hung her head.

"You're right. I'm not so happy with myself sometimes." Rose said softly. "But I didn't mean to take it out on you. I thought you might like being pampered for a change. I know I do." Rose finally truly smiled, and Ava admitted, it was stunning. The tall blonde locked arms with Ava and Alice on her other side. The three of them made their way to the food court. Surrounded by the smells of delicious deep fried and fatty foods, Ava felt almost faint with hunger. "What do you two want to get?"

Both the girls decided they weren't really hungry, they'd just have a smoothie. But they gave Ava Alice's credit card and sent her off to grab whatever she wanted. They both laughed when she came back with a tray bearing two large slices of pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, tomatoes and onion, French fries topped with chili and nacho cheese, a giant slice of strawberry-topped cheesecake and a tall, frosty glass of strawberry lemonade. Alice and Rosalie laughed at her choices and the size of the portions she'd chosen.

"I had no idea you were THAT hungry!" Alice laughed.

"Starving. Not hungry, STARVING. There's a huge difference, Alice." Ava replied, biting down into the hot, gooey cheese of the first slice of pizza. She moaned, it was so good, sending Rose and Alice into fits of giggles they couldn't contain. Ava contemplated throwing a French fry at them, but decided it would be a waste of food, so she ate it instead.

"Well, at least she matches Jacob for appetite." Rose said, raising her eyebrows at Alice who laughed harder. People around them looked up and at them as they heard her laugh, it sounded so much like the ringing of bells.

True to her word, thirty minutes later, Ava was taking the last pull from her strawberry lemonade, and the tray in front of her was empty. Her stomach was full, but not uncomfortably so. She wondered if she'd always eaten such large meals or if it was because her body was trying to heal and all the walking she'd done this morning. She knew her body had to be burning up calories like crazy.

She tossed her garbage into a can with a special lid to hold the empty trays, which she slid on top of the stack of them that was already laying there. Rose and Alice joined her and as they started walking away, they heard whistles and cat calls from the floor above them. Ava looked up to see several young men leaning over the rails, still whistling and jeering at them.

Rose and Alice kept walking, dragging Ava with them. They stopped in front of a very posh-looking, sleekly designed salon. Ava immediately felt a wash of dread. "Oh, come on, Rose. I don't look that bad…" She whined.

Rose just looked at her with a withering glare. "Dammit." Ava muttered under her breath, knowing she'd already lost the battle. The second they stepped inside, there was a woman standing in front of them with long, gorgeous black hair. She was obviously thrilled to see Rose and Alice and kissed their cheeks quickly. And then she saw Ava and gasped. "Oh my! And who is your," the woman sniffed in obvious displeasure, "friend?"

Instantly enraged, Ava turned to leave the shop of this snooty woman. But Alice grabbed her arm. "Janet, this is our friend Ava. We want her to have the very best treatment so we brought her to you."

"But of course you did, Cherie! Janet IS the best! Acapulco is the BEST! Come, come, come, right this way, girl. Avery, Anna, we have a premium client here!" Janet shouted, practically tossing Ava into a chair. Ava was immediately surrounded by a young man and a young woman, who hissed and tsked at her obviously never dyed or salon-styled hair. When they started talking about cutting her hair, Ava put her foot down. There was no way she was cutting all her hair off. They agreed to cut it no higher than her shoulders and grumbling, Ava agree to that length.

Avery wanted to dye it purple with white streaks. It would look "rocking". Ava wanted to strangle him. "No! No purple, no white. I'll consider highlights, but that's it. I LIKE my hair how it is." She demanded. Sighing in defeat, Avery went to a back room and mixed the solution for the highlights.

What seemed like hours later, Ava was presented to Rose and Alice who looked rather agog at the change in her appearance. Careful makeup had removed the dark circles under her eyes, the small bruise near her chin had disappeared. Even her cut looked diminished by Janet's very careful work

Anna, true to her word, had only cut the hair to Ava's shoulders, and small tendrils of it were curled around her face. . Her hair was artfully pulled back to cascade down her spine, the color lightened a little with golden and red highlights. Alice wondered for a moment how Avery had managed to talk her into them, but knew he was very persuasive when he wanted to be.

"Ava, you're stunning!" Rose said.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice walked around her in a circle and nodded! "Perfect!" She declared, finally. Alice handed Janet an odd-looking black credit card and quickly signed the receipt. Janet turned and began grabbing items off a shelf of what Ava was sure was high-brow, high-priced hair care items. She slid them into a beautifully designed glossy black cloth bag with Acapulco emblazoned on the side.

Alice carried the bag as the three of them left the salon. Ava admitted to herself that she really liked the pampering, but she knew she probably wouldn't be able to afford it when she went back to her real life, as she thought of it. And then a pang of sadness hit her. In her other life, she didn't have Jacob and Alice and Rosalie and Dr. Cullen.

But then Alice was tugging her along. "Where to next, Oh wise and mighty shopping expedition leader?" Ava asked Alice. Alice was practically dancing. "FURNITURE!" she sang.

Ava stopped in her tracks. "Furniture? For what?"

"For your room of course! The furniture in there is temporary for guests. I think you might be here a while and so you'll want and need furniture that suits your personality and taste. " She said matter-of-factly. Giving up, Ava merely sighed and allowed herself to be dragged into a furniture store in one of the upper levels of the mall. She wandered around the store while Alice and Rosalie discussed different designs and why one type of bed was better than another.

And then she saw it. A beautifully carved sleigh bed in a deep amber color, with a matching nightstand set, dresser, and desk. Her breath caught and she murmured "oh my," softly. As if they'd heard her, Alice and Rosalie were instantly beside her, grinning like Cheshire cats.

"Oh, Ava, it's gorgeous, and it's just right for you! Elegant but laid back, too." Alice exclaimed, nearly bouncing in her Jimmy Choos. She called over one of the salespeople. The woman smiled at Ava's choice, thinking of how nice her commission would be. Once they'd gotten that taken care of, the woman showed them to the mattress area, where Ava laid on a couple different ones before deciding on a very comfortable pillowtop model with a "cool core" technology to keep you cooler when you sleep. Alice laughed about that for some reason.

By the time they were finished with all of this, it was close to six in the evening and once again, Ava was almost gnawing on her tongue, she was so hungry. As if she was startled that it was so late, Alice and Rosalie agreed immediately and they took their purchases to the car-the furniture to be delivered the next day-and drove to a small Chinese buffet restaurant. "I've heard good things about this restaurant," Alice said.

"I love Chinese food!" Ava exclaimed, and then blinked, shocked at her reply. There was something new she'd just learned about herself. She grinned and walked to the buffet, plate in hand. She was surprised when she returned to the table with a loaded plate, but Rosalie and Alice had gotten only a small amount of fresh fruit. Ava ate with gusto, and leaned back with a sigh when she finally felt full. "Is it ok if I get a to-go container?" She asked them and they nodded in agreement before excusing themselves to go to the restroom while Ava got her container and hit the buffet one last time.

They all met back at the car and Alice insisted they make one last stop. Ava was overjoyed when she saw it was a Bed, Bath and Beyond store. She practically skipped beside Alice and Rosalie on the way into the store. When they went inside, Ava took a moment just to look around, awed by the amazing amount of choices. Alice dragged her towards the bedding department where Ava decided on an old colonial-quilt design, an ecru-colored sheet set and very firm pillows, since she slept on her stomach. At the bathroom section, Rosalie helped her choose a set of lovely deep plum-colored towels, washcloths and even a shower curtain and bath mat. "Since your room has a connecting bathroom. Esme thought that you'd be more comfortable that way."

"Esme sounds just wonderful. And so thoughtful. I feel bad that I was so nervous around her this morning. You all are so nice." Alice simply smiled.

"And tomorrow you'll be going to school with us!" Alice crowed happily.

"Ugh. School. I'd forgotten about that." Ava shuddered.

"No worries, Carlisle and Esme signed you up, you've always got one of us in your classes. Carlisle and Esme listed you as one of their foster children. You're one of us now. Ava Cullen." Alice laughed and hugged Ava quickly.

"Now come on, we've got to get you a few more things before we head home." Alice said and gripped Ava's hand, pulling her towards the bathroom accessories aisle. They picked out a nice set in a deep purple that included a toothbrush holder, soap dispenser and a fancy scallop-edged soap holder. There was even a matching ring holder. By the time they'd finished, Ava was yawning. But Alice said there had to be one more stop.

Ava was astonished when Alice pulled up to the nearest Wal-mart. Inside, they quickly made their way to the school supplies. Alice helped her pick out notebooks and pens. She tried to talk Alice and Rosalie out of buying her a laptop, but they wouldn't hear any of it. The only item that truly surprised Ava was when Alice decided Ava would need a mini-fridge in her room. "So you can keep your snacks, sodas and such inside."

They had help carrying everything out to the car, and Ava was a little squished in the back seat and quite a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff that the Cullens had given her and bought for her. Alice remembered to drive the speed limit this time. The woods along the side of the road seemed strange and haunted with the thick, heavy fog that surrounded everything. It wisped away as the car slid into it, the headlights shining on it and the taillights illuminating it as it melted seamlessly back together as they passed. When they finally arrived back at the Cullen house, it was close to midnight. Between Emmet, Jasper and Edward, and Esme and Alice's directions, everything was put in it's proper place.

Ava was sure Esme and Carlisle would be angry with the amount of money they'd spent, but they simply smiled at her, admired her new hair cut and color and sent her off to bed. Esme assured her that there would be no problem with the furniture delivery tomorrow and that Esme would have everything set up by the time Ava came home from school the next day. So Ava did what she was told, climbed into bed and promptly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

When her alarm went off the next morning, Ava woke feeling better. Her head wasn't throbbing for once and she'd slept deeply enough that she'd had no more nightmares, at least that she knew of. She'd have to ask Carlisle to be sure. She made her bed and pulled some clothes from one of the large bags that had mysteriously appeared on her floor sometime during the night. One of the boys must have carried them in while she was sleeping, probably at Alice's request. She thought about that for a second. Alice wouldn't request. Alice would order. She laughed and carried her clothing choices into the bathroom.

She was soon enveloped in a haze of hot water and steam. The water slid down her body, scented with her white-chocolate-and-strawberry scented shower gel and strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner. She wasn't quite up to using the fancy stuff from a salon, though she didn't understand why she felt intimidated by shampoo.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She wrapped another turban style around her head and began to slick thick lotion onto her skin. The chocolate-strawberry scent matched her shower gel and smelled divine. She almost literally wanted to eat it. She opened the small jar of facial moisturizer Alice had insisted she get and dotted it onto her forehead, cheeks and chin before smoothing it onto her face.

She towel dried her hair almost completely dry before taking out the gigantic bag of items from the salon the day before and trying to recreate the style. She eyed it carefully before deciding it looked okay. She opened a drawer where Alice had stashed the amazing selection of cosmetics from Sephora that Alice and Rosalie had both forced on her. She gasped when there was a knock at the door. "C..come in!" She squeaked, but apparently Alice had heard her, because she opened the door, letting cool air into the room. Of course, Alice was already dressed and perfect.

"Sit!" Alice said, pointing to the toilet, so sighing in defeat, Ava placed a thick, fluffy towel on the toilet seat and sat down while Alice popped lids off of containers and tubes. Within minutes, Alice was done and Ava was astonished at the change in her appearance. Her eyes looked large and bright, her lips fuller and her cheeks glowed. "Wow, Alice. You're amazing." Ava said.

"I know." She laughed. "Breakfast is almost ready, hurry up and get dressed. By the way, love your outfit. Black is a good color on you. Burgundy and emerald would be too." Alice looked at her for a moment as if trying to picture Ava in the other colors before shaking her head and closing the door behind her as she walked out of the bathroom. Ava hurried to pull on the pair of dark wash blue jeans, black turtleneck sweater and black toe socks. She slid her feet into a pair of extremely comfortable and warm boots. She walked out of the bathroom to put the towels and dirty clothes into the hamper and gasped when there was a small package on the bed.

Grinning, she opened the two small boxes to find a pair of small butterfly shaped amethyst earrings and a matching necklace that would lay at just the right place on her chest where she wouldn't fidget with it. She quickly put on these finishing touches, grabbed the backpack and purse that Rosalie had helped her choose the day before and headed downstairs.

She was immediately assailed by the scents of frying bacon and pancakes. Her stomach growling, she left her purse and pack on the couch nearest the door and entered the kitchen. She found Esme just setting a platter of bacon on the table, a plate of pancakes sitting at the otherwise empty table. A half of a grapefruit was sliced in half and waiting in a small bowl, and a steaming cup of tea-Earl Grey by the smell (Alice had bought her a cup yesterday for caffeine, since the smell of coffee had made her nauseous)-and even a glass of milk and orange juice.

"Um…wow, Esme, this is amazing. Do you cook like this all the time? And where's everyone else?" Ava asked as she sat down in front of the pile of pancakes. "They're finishing up getting ready, they've already eaten." Esme nodded towards the loaded dishwasher which was beginning its cleaning cycle. "And no, I figured since it was your first day, you'd need some fortifying breakfast before facing it. Would you like me to pack you a lunch or would you rather eat there?" Esme asked, the ever-present smile and sense of calm that exuded from her making Ava feel more and more at home with each passing moment.

"Uh, what do the others do?" Ava asked.

"Oh, they usually eat there, but they wouldn't begrudge you bringing a packed lunch. They're used to the food." Esme winked at her and laughed.

All through the conversation, Ava had been eating and when she looked down, she couldn't believe almost everything was finished. "Wow, I was hungrier than I thought." She said aloud.

"That's good. It means your body is using the fuel to heal." Carlisle said as he came through the door. "If you're ready to go, I still have a few last papers to sign for your school forms and after that, you'll officially be a Forks High School Spartan." He winked at her and they both laughed.

"You guys are amazing." Ava said, feeling unafraid for the first time since she'd woken without any semblance of a memory to tell her who she was.

"And that is quite the compliment. Thank you. Now, here's some money for lunch and any snacks you might want for the day. I know Edward will be going to Bella's after school to help her with an English paper, but I believe Alice and Rosalie are coming straight home, as are Jasper and Emmett. And by the time you get home, your furniture should be here. I'll have the movers set everything up. See you when you get home, sweetheart." Esme said, looking as if she wanted to give Ava a hug, but was unsure of her reception.

On a whim, Ava stood and hugged Esme, smiling when she saw Esme's smile deepen and her eyes crinkle in happiness. Ava laughed when she heard Alice shout, "It's time to go, people, come on! I want to show off Ava to everybody!" Carlisle laughed and escorted Ava to his car, Alice tagging along. The drive to school was a short one, and Ava struggled to memorize it. She could feel her breathe quickening as a sudden panic hit her. _What if no one liked her?_

But that was silly, she thought to herself. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Jake…they all liked her. So she was sure she'd make some friends…eventually. She went into the office with Carlisle while Alice waited outside. Carlisle swiftly got all the paperwork signed, Ava had her picture taken and within a few minutes, the secretary handed her a student ID. "These are new, we just started the program. Here you are, Ava Cullen." The lady smiled brightly at her as she handed her a card very much like a license. Ava's picture stood out in relief against the black of her shirt. Alice was right, it had been the perfect outfit to wear, even if Ava hadn't known she was going to be having her picture taken. For some reason, Ava was very certain that having her picture taken wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.

Alice and Ava compared schedules, and much to Ava's delight, they were very similar, they had several classes together. Those she didn't have with Alice, she had with Jasper or with Edward. But she groaned when she realized PE was the last class of the day. "Oh, Bella will be in your class!" Alice said, smiling at her.

"Who's Bella? I think Esme mentioned her this morning, something about Edward helping her with a paper." Ava asked.

"Oh, Bella is Edward's girlfriend. Isabella Swan, but she prefers Bella. You'll meet her at lunch, though I advise you stay away from her during PE. She's dangerous." Alice let out a small laugh and Ava tried not to smile. They went to class, sitting next to each other in English, History, Math and Study Hall before lunch. Alice led the way to the Cullen's normal table and introduced her to Bella.

Ava instantly liked the shy, quiet girl, who was so obviously infatuated with Edward. Bella shook her hand and smiled at her while she welcomed her to Forks. Bella explained that her father was Chief Charlie Swan, and that she'd moved to Forks from Arizona after her mother had remarried.

Edward had obviously explained to Bella about Ava's memory loss. And Ava was extremely glad that none of the teachers had made her stand up and tell them about herself. What would she have said? "Hi, I don't know what my name is, where I'm from, how old I am or what I like. It's nice to meet you." She nearly laughed out loud at the thought. Alice looked at her funny for a second before turning back to finish her sentence to Bella.

The day dragged on, lifted only by the fact that she was never alone in a class. Her new family seemed to make it their mission to keep her from being by herself. Edward even insisted on escorting both her and Bella to PE. Bella showed her the locker room and the girls talked as the dressed for class. "So what game are we playing right now?" Ava asked as they began to walk towards the gymnasium.

Bella sighed and admitted, "Volleyball. You might want to stay as far away from me as possible. I'm challenged when it comes to anything physical." Bella blushed bright red and Ava felt badly for her new friend.

"No worries, Bella. I think today might be your lucky day!" Ava said and thumped Bella on the shoulder lightly. Bella laughed and chased Ava down the hall to the gym. And then Ava began to see why Alice had warned her.


	12. Chapter 12

Three steps into running after Ava, Bella tripped and landed hard on all fours. "Oh my god! Bella are you okay?" Ava asked, running back to her. Bella just groaned, whether in pain or frustration, Ava didn't know. Suddenly Edward was beside them. "Bella?" he whispered.

"Go away, Edward. I might be bleeding," Bella sighed and slowly picked herself up off the floor. "Well, no blood, that's a good thing," Ava said helpfully. Edward nodded and walked away, though he looked back a couple of times to check on Bella's progress as Ava helped her towards the locker room. Both girl's sat down on a bench, Ava checking her over for scrapes.

Bella pointed out Ava's locker so that she could change quickly to be on time. Ava opened her backpack and wasn't really so surprised to find that in the bottom there was a pair of black shorts and loose tank top. "Alice," Ava laughed. She dressed quickly, tying her hair back out of her face. She was so glad this was the last class of the day. She wanted to go back to the Cullen's and see how her furniture looked in her room.

The thought stopped her and she went still for a second. She already thought of the Cullen house as home. How odd, she thought. But she also thought of Jacob's house as home, and if she had to truly choose, she would pick Jacob's house as home. It was much smaller and not nearly as well appointed as the Cullen house, but Jacob's house was a place for comfort and family and making memories. She smiled to herself as she finished dressing, pulling on a pair of thick socks and the designer tennis shoes Alice had stuffed into the bottom of her bag.

She and Bella walked into the gym, Ava handing the teacher the slip she'd had to have every teacher sign. He handed her a yellow sheet of paper; it contained a list of the activities she would be expected to join in if she wished to join one of the school sports teams and a parental consent sign form. She folded it and put it into her pocket, she would talk to Carlisle and Esme about it later. She wasn't even sure if she was good at sports, let alone if she wanted to play them for a school's team.

She was glad when Bella was chosen for the same team. She saw a couple girls laughing at Bella's pretty pathetic attempts to play, but when Ava saw one girl (a tall, pale blonde with a constant annoyed look on her face) actually reach out and trip Bella when she wasn't looking, Ava's temper flared. Without thinking about it, she jumped for the oncoming ball and slapped it hard, it slammed into the other girl's face, knocking her down. All of the other girls squealed and shrieked and ran to check on the other girl. "Lauren, oh my god, are you okay?" they all asked, milling around. The coach waded through the mass of them, looking Lauren over.

"Well, I think it might be broken. There's a little blood. Come on, Lauren, let's get you to the office so they can call the paramedics and your parents. " He helped her to her feet and everyone in the class followed to the doorway, watching as the coach and Lauren slowly made their way towards the office. They broke off into groups, talking among themselves. Ava felt horrible, but she wasn't sure what she should feel. Lauren had been cruel on purpose by tripping Bella and Ava's protective instincts had kicked in over her new friend. She hadn't meant to really hurt Lauren, just to teach her a lesson. She whispered to Bella, "Am I in trouble?"

"No, why would you be? You didn't know it was going to hit Lauren, you were just trying to get the ball over the net. They all know that." Bella patted Ava's hand comfortingly. They went and sat on the benches to wait for the coach to return. When he did, it was almost time for the bell to ring. He spoke to Ava quickly, saying that her injury was a product of hard playing, no one was in trouble and that Ava was free to go home when the bell rang. Ava was never happier to hear a bell ring in her life. She and Bella changed and walked out of the locker room to find Alice, Jasper, and Edward waiting for them.

The group walked out towards Edward's Volvo before Ava remembered that she had to turn her form in. When she emerged from the office, she was delighted to find Jacob waiting there for her. Without a thought, she threw herself into his arms, making him laugh and twirl her around. "Missed you too, Ava," he spoke softly into her hair by her ear.

"I'm going to take Ava out for a bit, but we'll be back before dark," Jacob explained to Edward, Alice, Jasper and Bella. Edward looked unhappy but nodded. Alice simply smiled and waved at Ava as Jacob took Ava's hand and walked towards a small motorcycle. "Wow," breathed Ava.

Jacob grinned at her before handing her a helmet and a padded leather jacket. He sat on the bike, she sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle. He started the bike and they were off, flying down the slightly damp streets of Forks, past the green forests and stone beach of La Push. When they finally arrived back at Jacob's, Ava felt like she could breathe again. This was definitely home.


	13. Chapter 13

Forget Me Not Ch. 13

Ava was surprised when Jacob opened the door to reveal an older man sitting in a wheelchair. "Ava, this is my dad, Billy Black. Dad, this is Ava." Jacob said, introducing her with such pride in his voice that it made Ava's heart pump harder.

She smiled shyly. "Hello, Mr. Black." she said softly.

Billy just grinned at her, Jacob hadn't been lying about how pretty the girl was. "Please, call me Billy. And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Ava. Now I have someone to tell all of Jake's embarrassing stories to. Like the time when he was three and-"

"Dad!" Jake groaned, making Ava laugh. _It must be a good story, then_, she thought. She'd have to find a way to ask Billy about it later. "So what do you want to do, Ava? We can go for a walk, watch tv, work on my car?" he said the last hopefully. Ava smiled. "Maybe you can work on your car for a little while and then we can watch tv?" she asked softly.

"Deal!" Jacob said swiftly and grabbed her hand, dragging her out of the house. "See you later, Dad!" he shouted as the screen door slammed behind them. Ava laughed as he tugged her along, his hand warm around hers. The entered what looked to be two small sheds cobbled together to form one larger one. The hood of a small, squat looking car was open and the engine block had been pulled out. It was now scattered in pieces on top of a sheet. Jake squatted on the cement floor and picked up an oil-stained rag and began to rub dirt off of one of the parts.

He smiled at Ava. "I'd had another one before, but I sold it to buy this one. They're good cars. Look weird, but they're good. If you want some music, there's a radio over there." He said, nodding his head in the direction of a small AM/FM radio hooked over the handle of the door. Ava walked over and turned the radio on, sliding the tuner button until she found a station playing a Beatles song. She smiled and began humming along, not seeing Jake watching her as she moved.

She sat crossed-legged across from him and watched him as he carefully cleaned the dirty engine part. Suddenly there was a very loud noise, it took Ava a moment to recognize it as a wolf's long, lonely-sounding howl. Jacob's head flashed up and he look panicked for a moment. He stood quickly and grabbed Ava's hand, pulling her to her feet. He started dragging her back to the house. "Jake? Jake calm down! It's just a wolf, it's not going to hurt you. Honestly, it's more scared of us than we are of them. Jake!' Ava tried to reason with him, but he simply made them run faster.

Finally they were back in the house. "Dad, can you keep Ava company, I'm going to go out with the guys, it sounds like those damn poachers caught another wolf in one of their traps!" Jake said, pushing Ava towards the couch. He turned and looked at her sadly, as if he wanted to stay but was compelled to go. "I'll be back soon, Ava." he promised, as he turned and ran through the door.

Ava looked after him, feeling odd at being left with his dad. She turned and smiled at him shyly. Billy grinned. "Well now, Ava. Have you ever heard the legends of our people? Has Jacob told you about where the Quileutes came from?"

Interested now, Ava sat on the couch near Billy's wheelchair. "No, but it sounds very interested. Would you tell me, Billy?"

Billy grinned even wider, his teeth white against the lovely russet tone of his skin. "Nothing would please me more. Now then…" he began, weaving the tale of the Quileutes, of their descent from wolves, of their fight against those they called the Cold Ones (It wasn't really letting out secrets, being an imprint, Ava would have learned about them eventually. Billy was simply letting the cat out of the bag sooner rather than later.)

Over an hour later, Jacob returned, looking exhausted and dirty. His shirt was gone and there was a large hole in the knee of one leg of his jeans. Ava jumped up to greet him and stopped in surprise. "Jake! What happened to you!" she said, looking him over in shock.

"That wolf was really stuck," he spoke quickly, telling her the story he and the pack had come up with to account for his disappearances. "The guys who were here the day you woke up? We're all on the council to save the Olympic wolf. Poachers around here put down traps and the wolves get caught, so we go out and try and rescue them."

Ava smiled. "That's very brave, Jake," she said. She looked at the clock and grimaced. "But I think I need to go back to the Cullen's now. They're going to get worried and I wouldn't want them to get mad at me." Jacob looked sad too, he'd barely gotten to see her at all before Sam had howled, calling the pack together.

"Dad, I'm borrowing your truck," Jacob said, grabbing the keys. It had cooled considerably once the sun had gone down and Jake didn't want to take the chance of Ava becoming ill. They climbed into the truck and Jake was surprised when Ava scooted closer to him on the seat. He noticed she was shivering, but he didn't want to frighten her, so he turned on the heater. Within a few minutes, the shivering had stopped (The truck's heater aided by his own 108 degree body heat.) but Ava didn't move away from him. She surprised him even more when she laid her head on his shoulder, feeling half asleep and started humming softly.

Too soon, it seemed to both of them, they were pulling into the long drive of the Cullen house. Carlisle and Edward were both standing on the porch, as if waiting for her. "Uh oh," Ava said softly.

"Don't worry, they aren't mad, Ava." Jake said, lying through his teeth. It was true, they weren't mad…at Ava. They were, however, furious with Jake. And he was pretty certain they wanted to have word in private with him once Ava was inside. By the time Jake managed to get out of the truck, Carlisle had come down the stairs.

Carlisle smiled at Ava. "Esme's got supper on the table for you, Ava. And I think Alice is dying to help you with your homework so that you can watch some new movie she rented. Edward, take Ava inside, please?" Carlisle said softly.

Before Ava could walk away, Jake reached out and took her hand, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. She smiled against his chest-goodness he was tall!- and blushed when she felt his lips touch her forehead. He murmured something, she assumed in Quileute and released her, but his eyes looked like he wanted to never let her go. She smiled at him, feeling a little bereft herself. As she walked away, Jake turned to face Carlisle.


End file.
